Klonoa: Cold Dream
by TheForbiddenTree
Summary: Klonoa finds himself in yet another dream world, but the dream world he is in bears many surprises and dark turns.


_**Klonoa and all subsequent characters are respectfully the property of Namco.  
Klonoa: Cold Dream is rated Fiction-T for Language and Violence.**_  
 _ **This story is a collaborative effort from myself and friends on the Untamed Heart Klonoa Collective fan site.  
**_ =========================================================================

 **Chapter I: A Strange Awakening  
**

Klonoa opened his eyes only to see nothing but complete blackness all around him, no sound to speak of. Where am I? He thought. Suddenly, a deep blue flame appeared before him. Klonoa approached the flame and heard a young girl's crying, while eerie, it sounded very familiar. Suddenly, there was a bright light and Klonoa couldn't see at all. When the light subsided, Klonoa found he was in a dry, shriveled forest, and it seemed to be deep evening. Klonoa felt incredibly dizzy from the transition and stumbled over, hitting his head on a downed log a little. "Oof! Ow... that hurt..." He said, rubbing his head. "What is this place?" Klonoa muttered to himself. Klonoa's wondering was interrupted by the sound of footsteps over the twigs, branches, and dry leaves. "Is someone there...?" He thought. Klonoa didn't want to take a chance, stumbled to his feet and ran. Klonoa didn't get far before he tripped and fell, finding a tattered red scarf. "Hm? What's a scarf doing here?" he pondered. "It's mine." a voice behind him spoke up. "Eep! Oh... sorry. H-here you go." Klonoa turned around to see who the voice was attached to, it was a black and gold wolf, wearing a dark red jacket. Sans a scarred right eye, the wolf kind of looked like someone Klonoa knew. "What're you doing out here?" the wolf asked. "I... I'm not sure. Where am I, and who are you?" Klonoa replied. "This place is part of my bounty route. As for who I am, I'm not telling you, okay? So don't ask." "People call me a dream traveler-" Klonoa was interrupted when the wolf drew his pistol to Klonoa. "Whoa! Don't shoot, please!" Klonoa begged, and the wolf chuckled. "Calm down, would you?" "What the hell!? Was that supposed to be funny!?" "I was testing to see how jumpy you are. If I scared you that much just now then you haven't seen the worst this forest has to show, which also means you're not from around these parts. Correct?" "Y-yeah. What is this place called?" "I'll tell you soon. Now come on and follow me." Klonoa followed the wolf to a cave with a door infront of it. The wolf opened the door, "Go on, get in." the wolf spoke. "So as for this area, this forest. I call it home. Others? They call it the Forest of Nightmares... and you don't want to be out there during the night. Speaking of which the sun is beginning to set so it's best you stay here for the night." Klonoa entered and saw that the "cave" was actually a home on the inside. "Now stay right here, I'm gonna make a call, and I'm gonna bring some food. DO NOT leave the cave and DO NOT go any deeper into it unless you want to get lost or ignored by me. Also, obviously, don't touch anything, got it?" "Yeah." Klonoa answered. The wolf disappeared into another room and closed the door behind him. Klonoa took this time to think about everything that happened thus far. Klonoa's attention was drawn to a large rack of guns, so he walked over to look at them. They were mostly old guns, but they seemed to be very well kept. Seeing the guns, Klonoa couldn't help but think of his gun toting friend. "That's a lot of guns. That wolf, he kind of reminds me of Guntz. I wonder... could he be...?" Klonoa thought it for a second and then laughed. "Nah! That'd be ridiculous! Now, what did he call this place? The Forest of Nightmares? Odd, it sure reminds me of the forest just outside Breezegale." Klonoa lamented. "Anyways, I don't need any of these guns. After all, I have-!" Klonoa realized he was bereft of his ring! "My ring! Where'd it go? I swear I had it!" Klonoa said, franticly checking his pockets for his favorite, not to mention iconic ring, no luck. "Damn it...! Where could it have gone?" Klonoa sighed. Almost as if answering his question... Standing at the doorway was a younger wolf with the same black and gold color of the older one. In the young wolf's right hand was Klonoa's Wind Ring! The young wolf was making "pew-pew!" sounds with the ring, as if it was a gun. Without thinking, Klonoa approached the young wolf. "Excuse me, but... you seem to have my ring?" "Yeah? And?" The wolf responded. "W-well... Hm... I guess it's because I've had that ring for a very long time-" Klonoa explained, the wolf took no notice and continued playing with the ring, making more "pew-pew!" sounds. "Hey! Are you listening?" Klonoa said, now annoyed. Then the ring started to glow. Startled, the young wolf dropped the ring. "Whoa! What's happening to it!?" "Hey! Careful with it!" Klonoa said, concerned. The ring continued to glow, and Huepow appeared from it! "Oh, thank goodness the ring didn't break." Klonoa said, relieved that his ring wasn't broken. "J-... just who are you anyways!?" The wolf demanded. Picking up the ring, Klonoa introduced himself. "I'm Klonoa, and this is one of my best friends." He said, looking over to Huepow. "I'm Huepow, it's nice to meet you!" Huepow introduced himself. "Now" Klonoa started. "Who are you?" "Me? My dad calls me Guntz!" The young wolf said. Klonoa's expression slowly went from friendly smile to shock as the realization hit him! "No way...!" he thought. Klonoa was in a dream of the past! Not just any past, mind you. The past of his sometimes friend, other times foe... Guntz!

Klonoa started thinking about something quietly... "Wait, if this is a dream of Guntz's past, in a time when his dad was still alive, then that means that..." He'd realized that if what he just thought about was true, then there was only one way for things to end... "Um, Klonoa? Are you still in there?" Huepow asked, snapping Klonoa back to reality. "Y-yes, of course! I was just... thinking about something." Klonoa said, slightly embarassed. "What're you doing here anyways?" Guntz asked. "I don't know. I just woke up in the forest." "That's it? No scrapes or injuries?" "Yeah, that's really it." "... You sure you're okay?" "Relax, I'm perfectly fine." Klonoa chuckled. "If you say so, I was just making sure." Guntz shrugged. "Guntz, could you give me a hand?" they both hear the older wolf call from the kitchen. "I'll go help my dad, you can take a seat and make yourself comfortable." Guntz said, and went into the kitchen. The whole exchange left Klonoa petrified on the spot. After all it's not everyday that Klonoa would get to speak to a younger Guntz who was roughly his age and height, not to mention nicer and friendlier. A couple of minutes later, Guntz and the wolf returned to the main room. Guntz had a bowl of soup in his hands and placed it in front of Klonoa. "Here," he said, "you can have this bowl." "Oh, th-thanks." Klonoa replied. Guntz went back to the kitchen to get himself a bowl. In that time, Batz, the older wolf (Guntz' father), had finished his soup and went over to the gun rack, picking up and loading three pistols and two rifles, putting two of the pistols in holsters on his belt, the third going in his jacket, and the two rifles slung on his back. "You're heading back out already?" Guntz asked. "Yes," Batz answered. "I'm going on a bounty with Janga. I'll be back in around three days. You can handle yourself, can't you?" "Of course!" Guntz answered. Guntz was much more respectful and nicer. Hard to think that Klonoa knew how Guntz life turned out. And not trying to help, due to thinking Batz would eventually die anyway. "Oh," Batz continued, "and I want our visitor gone by at least tomorrow morning or at most by the time I get back." "Yes sir..." "You understand it has to be this way." "Yeah, that doesn't mean I have to like it though." Guntz said. Batz sighed, "True, but sometimes things don't turn out the way you'd want them to. Maybe you just don't have want you wanted, but it's at times like those where you just have to learn to appreciate and settle with what little you have. Anyway, I'm already a bit late so I better leave, you take care, son." "You too, dad." And so Batz turned around and left towards the deep darkness of the cave. "Go? Why?" Klonoa asked. "Because... well... it's a little complicated." Guntz replied. "Well... are there any towns near here?" Huepow asked. "Hm..." Guntz thought aloud. "I'm not sure... my doesn't really let me go anywhere on my own." Guntz said. "Also... your dad said the forest is dangerous during the night. You have any idea what he could be talking about?" "Heh... you haven't been out there during the night." Guntz replied. "What happens during the night?" Huepow asked. "Personally, I don't know, but my dad told me vicious monsters that kill anything in their path come out at night." Guntz explained. Klonoa tried to hold it, but couldn't help laughing. "Hey! I'm serious!" Guntz looked at Klonoa with a slightly annoyed expression. "Hahaahahehehe... hoo... sorry... but I think your dad only said that so you wouldn't go outside without-" "Why do you think it's called the Forest of Nightmares? My dad said that the monsters that attack you are the manifestations of your worst fears." Guntz explained further. "Hm... You sure what he says is true?" Klonoa asked. "Yes!" Guntz responded. "I think he's telling the truth, too." Huepow added. "How come?" Klonoa turne to Huepow. "I don't know, I just have a feeling." Klonoa still had doubts about what guntz had said. But, he did what guntz had him do... for the next three days. During that time, Guntz had asked Klonoa many things, where he came from, what he did. So Klonoa spent most of that three day period helping Guntz and talking about some of his past. Then, the third day rolled by, it was a rainy night, and no sign of Batz. "Strange, my dad should be home by now. Where could he be?" "Maybe he's just running late?" Huepow suggested. "I doubt it... he's usually really good about getting home when he says he will." The hours passed by and before they realized, it was night time again.

Guntz and Klonoa just about gave up until they heard footsteps at the door, but it wasn't Batz... rather it was a messenger bot. "Hm? What do you want?" Guntz asked. "I have a message for the son of Batz." "Th-that's me..." Guntz said. The messenger bot beared tragic news for Guntz, that his father, Batz, had been killed last night during his bounty. Guntz closed the door and silently walked back to Klonoa. "What did the message say?" Klonoa asked. Tears welled up in Guntz' eyes, and Klonoa knew immediately what the message said. "M-... my-... my dad is..." Guntz tried to speak but broke into tears. Klonoa hugged Guntz tightly, feeling empathetic. "I'm so sorry for your loss... if you want, I can stay with you a while longer, if you don't want to be alone. I understand how hard this is, I know what you're going through..." Klonoa himself couldn't help but let out a few tears both from this moment and "that" moment. "I... *sniffle* I wanna find... the ones responsible... and make them PAY...!" Guntz stammered through his crying. Upon hearing those words Klonoa couldn't help but feel guilty. The thought kept coming to him: "Should I have tried to save him?". He knew that none of it was really happening, he knew that no matter the outcome reality would not change, yet the feeling was very real: the feeling of choosing to let someone die. "I WILL... KILL THEM! AND I... WILL KILL ANYONE WHO... WHO GETS IN MY WAY!" Guntz stammered once more. "I will help you Guntz." Guntz gave Klonoa a confused look. "But why would you?" He asked. "Because I feel like I'm obligated to help you... to return the favor for your father, but right now I think we should try to have a good night sleep, we'll think of a plan tomorrow morning." Klonoa told him. "Yeah," Guntz said, drying his tears. "I guess we should, it's not like we can leave now any way. Good night." And so Guntz left towards his bedroom. Klonoa decided to sleep on the big chair in the living room, he figured it wasn't a good idea to sleep in Batz's bedroom. After getting himself confortable, Huepow jumped out of the ring. "What are you doing?" "Helping out a friend." "You do know that he plans on killing his father's murderer when we find him, right?" "I'll think on what to do when we get to that point, okay? Right now I just need some sleep." "Fine... but, just... please don't do anything that you'll end up regretting, okay?" "I promise, Huepow." Klonoa said, and with that Huepow went back into the ring. Klonoa could not sleep due hearing guntz cry and yell all night about his father's demise. "Guntz... we will get him." Said klonoa to himself almost like a prayer or a vow.


End file.
